MAMA HARRIS, 2020
Acrylic Paint
My piece was inspired by the Fauvism movement of the early twentieth century that emphasized unnatural and expressive use of color. This is my favorite artistic movement because it allows for a wide range of color and doesn’t necessarily require precise attention to detail. Basically, I can take my brush and plop the colors on the paper in a way that will somewhat resemble my subject. I have always been favorable of vibrant colors rather than muted ones, so these pieces are just more pleasing to my eye, and place more importance on feeling rather than details. I decided on a reference photo of my mom because she is always pushing me to be more creative and make art for her, but not of her. I thought this would be a lovely way to let her know that her beauty is beyond realism. So I can’t say I chose these particular colors for any reason, other than that they seemed to fit at the time. I used light brushstrokes on the purple hair to emphasize its softness. The background I left a simple pattern, to keep the focus on the subject.